Because of Whose I Am

You know about who you are in Christ you can walk in victory because if you don't understand the true state bound by false ideas and false pursuit, and you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. As John 832 and this is destined for victory hello and thanks for tuning in ponte's pilot stood before Jesus and asked the age-old question what is truth. Jesus never give an answer, perhaps because he knew pilot wasn't really looking for one. But something tells me you are on today's broadcast pastor Paul offer some straight talk about the truth of God and how we as his children to be sure to discover it stay right here or listen on demand any time@pastorpaul.net that's pastor up all.net now here is Pastor Paul. Today's destined for victory message because of whose I am.

Galatians chapter 3, beginning with verse 25. Paul says now that faith is, we are no longer under the supervision of the law. You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus and if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and errors. According to the promise. The previous message. We looked at the fact that Paul said earlier in this chapter, you seem to have been bewitched by those who have convinced you that you need to go back into observing the law to try to obtain favor and righteousness from God, and he says it's as though you have been bewitched, and instead you need to understand the joy in the freedom that we have in Christ, so that I am titled that message trick-or-treat and we looked at the fact that instead of being tricked by the Judaizers, who insisted that the law had to be observed if one was going to obtain salvation. We need to learn to enjoy the fact that God has given us some blessings as a result of faith in Christ and we talked about three areas in which you can enjoy the treats of God rather than being tricked by this false belief. We talked about the fact that God offers us partnership, God offers us power and God has given us his promise and recovered those themes in the previous message now want to pick it up and talk a little more about what God has promised us those of us who have trusted Christ as Savior and unpack that theme a little more. The more you know about who you are in Christ. The more you can walk in victory.

And that's why this letter is so important as he talks about freedom over and over again because if you don't understand the true state bound by false ideas and false pursuits. But if you know the true Jesus said on one place you will know the truth and the truth will make you free, and it is wonderful when you come to walk in the truth of God and so I want to talk a little more about this business of what God has promised us in Christ.

As we continue to enjoy understanding the freedom that we find in Christ. I want to make three specific points related to Sun ship now look at what he says in verse 26 of Galatians 3 he says you are all sons through faith in Christ Jesus. Now I am to the last message assuring the women that this is not a gender orientation when you see you are all sons in Christ is not talking to the men in the body of Christ you talking all of us and the reason is because Sun ship in this biblical context has nothing to do with gender.

It has everything to do with identity.

What it means is just like in common vernacular. You often hear.

He will talk about. He just to use humanity in a singular form but really is. It speaks of all humanity, and we say you know when a child is doing such a thing he is and were talking about stages of development whatever it is it's not referring to gender as though the girls don't exist, but it simply means that there is a way of identifying that you are talking about this individual and that's what the Bible does here when it says you're all sons of God. It means even the sisters half full identity as children of God.

He says you're all sons through faith in Christ are all children of God through faith in Christ and there are three aspects of being sons of God are children of God that he unpacks in this section of his letter. The first is he suggests that as children of God are sons of God. We are all legitimate. We are all legitimate notice that he says this designation belongs to everyone through faith in Christ. Everyone who is been baptized into Christ he says has called him or herself with Christ and then he says there are these distinctions such as Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female.

He says all of us are one in Christ Jesus.

I want to let you know that as a child of God you are number one legitimate. What that means. Paul is suggesting here that God has no stepchildren. God has no have children. God has no kids that just you know got in by some other means you are in the family of God. You are all flared a member of the family of God.

You have all that any other brother or sister hand now in this context, of course, Paul is trying to remind believers that our standing in Christ trumps the notion that the Judaizers was sending forth, which was that only those who observe the law are legitimate in the sight of God.

Paul says not so if you put your trust in God you are as legitimate in the family of God as anyone else here is the way Jesus put it in John chapter 1, or as John was commenting on the ministry of Jesus. He said that Jesus came to his own. John one verse 11. Jesus came to his own his own did not receive him, but as many as received him, what is it say to them gave he the right to be sons of God.

Everyone who puts his or her faith in Christ has been given legitimacy and the right to be a child of God I am a legitimate full-fledged child of God. Although I'm a Gentile, through faith in Christ. I'm not significant to God as anyone else on the planet because I'm born again into his family. You know you are born again.

If you are saved by faith in Christ. You are born again into the family unit and coming through some other means. You were born in the same way everybody else got in. You got in and that's why you are legitimate in the family of God, no one has a right to discount you. That's why churches have no business deciding who can or can't be a part of the fellowship. If you're saying that's the thing that brings you in that Jesus said you must be born again, God be born again. They can get saved.

Just by hanging out in the church. You gotta know Jesus for yourself. You gotta realize I'm a sinner who needs salvation and I trust that what Christ did on the cross he did for me and I put my faith and trust in him. I asked him in the my life that makes me legitimate. Jesus said the result is you are born again just like you were born. The first time in naturally you have to be born again spiritually.

If you are born again, though you are in the family just like everybody else how late you came that matter. What background from which you came.

It doesn't matter what issues, what bad you're coming out what challenges you're dealing with now in your life. The first thing you want to do is know that I am in Christ once I'm in Christ, he can deal with my stuff he can transform me and make me the person is called me to be the charges sometimes try to get folks straight before they didn't say I try to get him holy before to get them saved Nonno you're putting the cart before the horse. Gotta get him saying first. Once I'm say once I'm born again. Now I'm in the family of God, the Holy Spirit can work in my life.

Now the word of God can cleanse me and purify me now my life can get straightened out, but it begins would be in born again and let me tell you something that you're born again your legitimate you're in the family. You are as in his everybody else.

The matter how late UK resident of the person who's been the longest in the family of God. There some folk here would be to how many folks in this audience right now have been saved for more than 30 years of me see your hand save more than 30 events and that's it for the good percentage of been saved more than 40 years but is still pretty good percentage of people walking with God anymore. 50 any 50s we got some 50+ in the family of God. I leave a Decalogue giveaway a ducky ball fully with side pastor that you made your point. Go hit on with the message all right. We have some folk who are 3040 50 years.

In how many of you just came to Christ within the past 12 months.

Let me see your hand just came to Christ within the past 12 months. Thank you folks who just raised their hands are as legitimate in the family of God as the 50+ folks every bit as legitimate. There is no classes and there is no preference. The tenure doesn't count. You are legitimate child you're in the family and you have all the rights of a child of that family.

That's the wonderful thing about coming to Christ I tell you in our family.

My family of origin. My parents had the first four of their five children relatively close together. They had my older brother first and then a year of little more than a year later, my older sister came they are about to 13 months apart, and then two years later I came in there about four years later my younger sister came and so the first foremost came relatively close together and then it seemed that they were how to make will be right back with more of today's destined for victory message from Pastor Paul Sheppard to listen to any of Pastor Paul's recent broadcast. Be sure to stop by.net any time to listen on demand. That's pastor up all.net you can also download the podcast at Apple podcast or wherever you get yours. We also have a free mobile app to search destined for victory in your app store to listen to the program wherever you go.

You can also use the apt order resources. Send us your prayer requests or make a safe and secure donation well when Pastor Paul Sheppard was about 14 years old his parents at him and his three siblings down to share some surprising new tells us about it next to the second half of today's message because of whose I am once again. This pastor for years and it was just a form of and it just looked like the shepherd had forgave we were growing up together and what have you. Everything was going along well, but doubt 10 years after my sister my younger sister, my parents messed around and went on a cruise got out there those warm tropical breezes and what have you. And I tell you I'll never forget the day that my mother set us down at the dining room table 1972, set us down at the dining room table for an emergency family meeting. I'll never forget that day, I can picture it as I speak. We set down at the table.

My mother set it one had my father set at the other. The four of us sat around the table and my mother looked dejected. She looked confused.

She looked bewildered but she lifted her head and said well I thought it was time for you all to know because I'm beginning to show you're going to have a brother or sister. We looked at her all about. All four of us looked at her, especially the three older ones. My sister was 10.

She wasn't quite as connected with what was going on, but the other three of us looked at her as if to say, have we taught you nothing what you mean you're pregnant old is your all. It seemed old at the time and could not believe it. She just said that. Just looking bewildered. I looked down the other in the file of the proud father would probably look like he sent Ms. an answer right right for me.

So you so. But here's my point was not a team meeting.

We get in on anybody coming or not coming into the family. We could protest, but it would be in vain because this was on his way was gonna be a lead shepherd, whether we wanted only expected him, whether we like them when they got here no matter we were about to have a new sibling in the family because whoever that was was going to be a legitimate ship to this day he declares.

My youngest brother Timmy declares he is the favorite child of all five shepherd children. He said that my father Spiro is just so in case y'all don't know, I'm the favorite shepherd.

He has declared that J all these years but was about a meeting. Timmy was on his way.

We had nothing to do with it and when my mother came home today from the hospital, we saw our brother badger brother will change his diaper no voting no, we get to think you know just what you did you pick your friends are stuck with your relative natural so it is we all like we like that we think is really cool.

We glad to have them all yet build a bridge and get over it because he's here that's the way it is in your family God's family. Everybody was born again is a legitimate child of God matter what background you come from the house.

Your background is matter what you come from God matter what the trappings of sin in your life have been whether you are a goody two shoes center down the right lowdown dirty center in the minds of people in the mind of God. All of us have sinned and come short of God's glory and his blood every one of us makes us legitimate like the blood has difficulty with a certain set of sinners. O Lord you God. The home will be scrubbing a while not know know know know know know this moment to our faith and trust in Christ Jesus gives us a right standing with God as all of us are born again we legitimate children of God, legitimate children of God. God has made us his own children and therefore our identity in the realm really is not that significant number get what Paul said. He said you know you are no longer is not about being male or female. It's not about being a slave or free is not about being a Greek or a Jew. He says now that you're in Christ trumps everything else.

Encourage somebody if you're saying quit thinking of your self merely by your earthly identity. That's the way other people identify you, but I identify myself the way God identifies me I am a child of God.

You might not like the culture I come from, but you won't have to deal with that on your own. I am a child of God. You might not like my gender.

But I am a child of God you like my standing in the world but I am a child of God, and we have to learn to see ourselves the way God sees us.

Don't let people define you to create get to define you, God has created you again in Christ Jesus defined by your past my past is forgiven my sins under the glove Jesus and the seed of the bars in the Old Testament.

It says that he remembers our sins no more an amazing burst because we know that God is omniscient, meaning he knows everything and yet God is trying to show us that he has the capability within himself, although he knows everything he had the ability to cut all knowledge of who used to be.

Once he saves us by his grace. So God remove burst before him your sins no more. That's why if you still treatment over what used to be. You better get all because God got over. If you're still beating yourself up you better hurry up and get over it because your sins were thrown into the sea.

And when God grows them in the sea.

He puts up a sign that says no fish, no fish, you can press back out my past and y'all y'all don't know what no I remember you remember everything you want…… Because he saw me thoroughly. He could me thoroughly convinced that that's what most people need. They think they need a new leaf, but they really need a new life, only to try turn over new leaf, only to turn out, try to be a better person. My seven Sigma's and did not know know get in Christ as your new identity get in Christ in Christ. I am a legitimate child of God, and no one can throw up my past this and don't let the devil throw up your past is good sometimes. You know the Bible calls them in one place, the accuser of the brothers accuser.

The brothers sometimes the enemy will try to accuse you when you're trying to grow in trying to strive for maybe a wrestling with some besetting sin in your life and you haven't quite got the victory get an intimacy to see that I told you that this change in your life you need to call back out in the world. Quit trying to pretend that you insert your Joe's because you are now a child of God. So when he reminds you of your past is what you do, remind him of his future buddy Bible says that God has prepared a place for you, you will eternally become them in the presence of God don't tell you where you had Satan wants to keep the truth hidden from you. You use deception, half-truths, and full-blown lies to do it. If that doesn't work you use temptation, followed by guilt but make no mistake, you are a legitimate child of God and no weapon formed against you shall stand in Christ, you are destined for victory, you know, highest calling as believers in Christ is to go out into the world and share our faith with others, and there's no better time than now, as were dealing with some social unrest and cultural uncertainty help Pastor Paul do just that. People are often more willing to accept the cross in times of crisis as we continue to walk together through a challenging and chaotic season in our history.

Now is a great time to offer destined for victory.

Your prayers and financial support for your generous donation to destined for victory. We have a gift would like to send your way. A study guide from University press called fruit of the spirit. This great resource outlines some of the qualities which every believer in Christ should aspire, love, joy, peace, patients nine qualities in all that God wants us to ripen in our own lives so that we can go out and share with others. Again, that's fruit of the spirit our gift to you by request for your generous gift to destined for victory.

Just call us at 855-339-5500 to give that gift over the phone or mail your gift to destined for victory PO Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538, and of course you can also make a safe and secure donation on our website. Pastor Paul.net thanks in advance for helping keep destined for victory on the air hateful behavior all out of sorts. You can say this does not represent my inheritance as a child of God, God will give me the ability to deal with my problems legitimately is Monday and Pastor Paul Shepard's message because of whose I am. Until then, remember he who began a good working you will bring it to completion. In Christ, you are destined for victory